There are two separate, discrete ore bodies that make up the operations, Jacinth and Ambrosia. In order to access the target ore, topsoil, subsoil and overburden are removed. These are typically removed using a combination of excavators, haul trucks and tractor scoops and are either stockpiled or direct-returned to the mine void pending final surface rehabilitation.
Dry mining techniques are used for recovery of the ore. The sand, containing heavy minerals, is fed into the Mining Unit Plant (MUP) to remove oversized material, including rock and other debris, before being slurry pumped to the Wet Concentrator Plant (WCP).
Mining of the Jacinth and Ambrosia deposits is undertaken as a continuous operation with mining and processing operations (including mineral haulage) occurring 24 hours, 7 days a week.
An estimated 93 Mt of ore will be mined over the remaining LOM at a rate of approximately 10 Mt per annum, yielding between 0.2 and 0.4 Mt per annum of HMC.
At current rates of production and ore reserves, the estimated remaining LOM is 10 years (i.e.ending in 2029).
Pit design
The final planned mining area will be approximately 3.6 km long, 800 m wide and an average of 25 m deep at Jacinth, and 2.5 km long, 800 m wide and average 25 m deep at Ambrosia.
Geotechnical investigations determined that pit slope design was for the two pits were 40 degrees for the red and browns loams and 30 degrees for the Ooldea ........
